While most college students would probably disagree, I miss the days of radio and burned CDs. Actually, I still live in them — I just wish everyone else did, too.
Not to hate on my iPod  — it’s incredibly useful. The real enemy is all these music apps like Pandora and Spotify. Oh, and the true leader of the mob — satellite radio.
I still haven’t entered the world of Pandora, but I recently downloaded Spotify. What am I supposed to do with this? Should I just sit around “listening to music?”
That phrase reminds me of a fifth-grade ice breaker question. “What are your hobbies, Sarah?” “Oh, I like playing with my dog, reading books, listening to music.”
I’m in college. I’m busy.
At first I thought, if people legitimately have time to sit down and spend a significant portion of their day simply listening to music on their laptop, I am doing something wrong. I have obviously failed at college life.
The longest time of music listening I do is on my drive to school — well, technically it would be in a bar, but that doesn’t count right now. Sometimes I even skip the tunes for a radio talk show like Kidd Kraddick.
Gasp.
Maybe I’m just a little behind on the time.
It’s so easy to just press “CD” and listen to my all-time favorite jams all mixed up in the order that I like them. The disc has been in the player since the day I got the car. Don’t worry, I know Eminem will rock out as soon as Jessica Andrews is finished belting “Summer Girl.” And in true burned CD style, of course I didn’t burn it myself; my best friend did.
The time has come, though, to get with the program.
The more you put off making the change, the more difficult it will become. Ultimately, it’s for the sake of your own happiness. Nobody wants to hear a song for the first time when it’s announced as No. 1 on Ryan Seacrest’s countdown. Download Spotify and get it together.
From a person who is borderline technologically illiterate, the app is pretty easy to use. Search whatever you want and drop it into a playlist. It’ll make recommendations of what to listen to, and you’ll be back on track in no time.
For all you people like me, which may not be many, we can do this. I know hitting that download button can feel like you’re waving goodbye to an era, but not entirely. Radio will never stop broadcasting, and that super fantastic black CD case can keep its home in your car console. But learn the ways of the music apps so you’re not compared to a 60-year-old man trying to use Facebook,.
My top three pieces of advice to those like me: don’t be frightened, try not to overwhelm yourself by going overboard and enjoy the music.
Sarah Nickel is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Crowley, La.